Taste: Get Some

Such was my response to the ugly poll below and the weirdly enraging salad I had with lunch. What is it with New York City chain-grocery produce? Sometimes it feels more conceptual than edible. I know this isn’t news, but Lord, this pepper: enormous, firm, a beautiful glossy red, but utterly, utterly tasteless. Does a person really need to go to farmers' markets to get produce that tastes of this earth (and not some unsubtle marketing firm)? I have a new understanding of ranch dressing. . .

Poll

Rainbows Redux

The Times Music section devotes its lead story today to a survey of East Village hipsters asked what they'll pay for In Rainbows. It's an interesting question, but the piece almost entirely fails to address how people arrive at their figures.

One guy says he'll give $5 or, weirdly, $8, depending on his next pay check; another will give $5 because Radiohead "already have plenty of money." Beyond this, we get very few justifications.

As I consider what I'm willing to pay, I realize the issues are fairly complex. For instance, doesn't it seem unfair to go with the guy above who values labor based on the economic status of the worker? Should we pay people less just because they're rich? (Shouldn't taxes account for this already?) Or conversely, should we pay less just because we're not?

It's also unclear how the cost of production (equipment, manpower, time, etc.) should factor into our decision. (And why do I suddenly sound like a Marxist?) Should a piece for orchestra go for more than one for solo guitar? Should we pay more for an album that took two years to produce rather than two weeks?

Finally, should we consider quality? If the album is great, as I expect it will be, should we pay top dollar? If it's crap and we only listen a few times, can we justify taking it for free?

Alice, commenters, what are you thinking? How do you handle these questions in other, comparable situations - at pay-what-you-will cultural institutions, say, or when they pass around the hat at a rock show? How does this mesh with your feelings on other issues - taxation, for instance, or the obligations of pharmaceutical companies to the world's poor? What would you do in an ideal world? What will you do in this one?

Dollars & Cents

It feels a bit ungrateful to quibble with Radiohead's pay-what-you-will release scheme for the upcoming In Rainbows, but did anyone else notice that to get all the music you have to drop around 80 bucks for a deluxe "discbox" (including two LPs I would guess the majority of consumers will never play)?

I'm all for artists getting paid and I suppose it's cool Radiohead still has an appreciation for LP culture and collectors in general. But if they're trying to be so egalitarian, save energy, subvert capitalist norms, why force us to pay so much to get all the songs? (I have no problem paying extra for art which can't really be had in a low-cost digital equivalent.)

I'm not sure. Perhaps the band isn't trying to be political, but just responding realistically to the MP3 age. After all, they've never shied from elaborate and expensive releases in the past; and maybe this isn't so much about saving us money as presenting more diverse options for spending it. (Have any economists chimed in? Will Radiohead make any money on this deal?)

Also, I suppose one could argue at least they're doing something, and that from a band who commands such market power it's all the more meaningful. Still, I think of this bit of ham-handedness off Amnesiac and feel a bit confused:

"We are the dollars and cents and the pounds and pence
And the mark and the yen, and yeah
We’re gonna crack your little souls
We’re gonna crack your little souls"

I'll take Fugazi over Radiohead for DIY credibility any day. But for better or worse, when it comes time to listen, ethical considerations quickly fall away. One week to go, folks. . . just one week to go!

I Am Testing a New Feature

Which means you can watch this commercial for a tv show that no longer exists except in the hearts of its fans. Of which I am one. Aw.

Tell me, did this take a long time to load? If not, I am going to have fun with this feature.

'Tis a Gift

I'm just sitting here in front of the computer thinking about simplicity and how good it is with regards to book covers (see: one, two, three, four), album covers (see: one, two, three, four), and music in general (see: Oh, you know. It's called rock 'n roll.)

What do you think? Are these even simple? Or good? Because now I'm questioning the whole thing and getting all "whoa, what is simple, what is good, etc."

To The Three Boroughs

I am back in New York and have lived in 3 boroughs in the past month, and I may as well use it as an excuse to make Jake happy and write something here. Though each neighborhood I lived in isn't necessarily indicative of the entire borough, I think some generalizing could work here. So here are my thoughts:

Jackson Heights, Queens - Definitely the sleepiest of the three. I got lost trying to find the subway on the first day, which lost points for the whole borough. What is the deal with the numbered roads and avenues and streets all intersecting? And the numbers go up to down? I don't know, but i don't like it. I think the big selling point of this neighborhood is it has great Indian food. I don't like Indian food. Minus two. No place to get out of the house and read (ie. coffee shop, community garden, etc.). Minus three. Plus one for the people I was staying with, who were good company and fed me dinner almost every night. They also taught their cat tricks like fetch and shake, which was very amusing. Overall score: -2.

Lower East Side, Manhattan - Okay, so because I used to live here I settled in quite comfortably. Perhaps too comfortably, according to my brother. Good places to get out and read: Tompkins square park, plenty of coffee places (Roasting Plant on Orchard for the best coffee, though not ideal for sitting around for long periods of time), Bagel Zone, Sugar Sweet Sunshine (cupcakes). Plus I could get my tofu cream cheese at Russ and Daughter's. Annoying drunk bridge and tunnelers on weekends, annoying drunk new yorkers on weekdays, generally too loud at night/early morning, shish kabob guy who yells every night at like 3am. Cold as ice American Apparel employees always around. Also, for some reason the guy who lives on the benches outside American Apparel makes me uncomfortable now. I don't know why, he's perfectly nice, it's just sometimes I don't want to say "hi," but I have to or else i'm being rude and he will call me on it. Generally when I walk by him I'm either tired or in a hurry, and I rarely feel like talking to anyone really, even if it's just a quick nod and hello.

Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn (billed as Prospect Heights on Craigslist. It's not.) - I guess I'm a Brooklyn person. I like the wider streets with less foot traffic, and the occasional tree and nice looking brownstones but with more activity going on than in Queens. Lots of families and people hanging out on their stoops, which reminds me of summer, one of my favorite things. Plus for lots of bargain stores (I got a towel today for 5 bucks. I don't even know how much towels normally cost, and it's a weird orange color, but still, I needed one and that seems cheap.) Minus for the fried chicken place on every corner, for the selfish reason that when I'm hungry and walk by one I sort of wish I ate meat because it would be convenient and it smells pretty good, but then I feel grossed out. Minus for some disturbing conversations on the street including this one woman today saying "so i hit her. just in time for the case worker to come...such an inconvenience." Plus for the big room I have, and plus for my nice-seeming roommates. Minus for always being the only white person on the street because I don't like standing out in a crowd. Minus also for the 1 to 3 comments per block (assuming people are on it, and I am totally not exaggerating) I receive based on the fact that I'm a girl. As previously mentioned I don't generally like unsolicited attention and fake pleasantries. Maybe it's partially my fault for always making eye contact with people, but one time I got yelled at for not making eye contact (this was a long time ago, in San Francisco I think) and now I just do it automatically. This didn't annoy me at first but now it does because, though the comments aren't menacing, they do (in my opinion) have something to do with demonstrating a power imbalance. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on this one. Overall, still my preferred neighborhood. If you have a place in the Bronx or whatever the fifth borough is (Staten Island? Is it Staten Island?), I need a place to live from the 27th to the 1st....